Syria’s heroes: Operating across rebel-held parts of the country, Syria’s civil-defence team

Syria’s heroes: Operating across rebel-held parts of the country, Syria’s civil-defence team has grown from small, ragtag bands of untrained volunteers into a formidable search-and-rescue force. The group, known as the White Helmets for the colour of the hard hats they wear, has rescued more than 60,000 people since 2014. The work is lethal. Roughly one in six volunteers has been killed or badly wounded. Like most of the 3,000-strong team, many of the casualties were carpenters, electricians and plumbers before the war broke out, ordinary men pulled onto the front lines of a savage conflict by a desire to save lives. To read the related article, search “The rise of Syria’s White Helmets” via our website #TheEconomist #Syria

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Syria’s heroes: Operating across rebel-held parts of the country, Syria’s civil-defence team last updated: October 18th, 2016 by